All About the Inguinal Hernia Repair
By Lela S. <?
An inguinal hernia is when certain tissues in the abdomen protrude through an area of weakness in the muscles. During the inguinal hernia repair, the surgeon has to push the bulging tissues back into their original positions.
The hernia can be caused by multiple things, such as overexercising or obesity. Both adults and children are suceptible to this condition, but men are the most likely to develop it. Certain symptoms of an inguinal hernia are an abdominal bulge as well as uncomfortableness in the affected area.
There are two surgery procedures that can be done to repair the hernia: open surgery or laparoscopy.
Open surgery: The patient will be given a general anaesthetic (an anaesthetic that affects your whole body and makes you fall asleep). A single long incision is made in the abdominal area. The bulge will then be pushed back, and the edges of the weak spot in the muscle wall will be sewn together. For this, you most likely can return to light activity after 3 weeks, but strenuous exercise should wait until after 6 weeks of recovery.
Laparoscopy: The patient will be able to go home the same day as their surgery. The surgeon will use an instrument called the laparoscope, which is a long, thin tube with a high-intensity light and a high-resolution camera, to examine the abdominal organs. A small incision is made below the belly button, and then a small tube called a cannula is inserted, which pumps carbon dioxide gas into the abdomen so the doctor can see the organs more clearly. Once the abdomen is inflated, the surgeon will insert the laparoscope through the incision. One to four incisions will be made. All normal activities can be resumed within a week.
Normal side effects of laparoscopy are moderate pain and throbbing in the areas where incisions were made, however any pain or discomfort should improve within a few days. It’s also common to have shoulder pain after the procedure.
To help, there’s one thing that’s absolutely necessary for recovery: getting lots of sleep.
Citations:
Giorgi, A. (2018, October 6). Laparoscopy: Purpose, preparation, procedure, and recovery. Healthline. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/health/laparoscopy.
Open inguinal hernia repair (Herniorrhaphy, hernioplasty). HealthLink BC. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/hw170381.
Pietrangelo, A. (2018, September 17). Inguinal hernia repair: Causes, treatments, and risks. Healthline. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/health/inguinal-hernia-repair.